Monsters

by Brian Night

Years ago, the souls of six dragon-gods were sealed inside Duel Monsters cards to prevent their battle from destroying the world. But when the spirits of these cards awaken, their owners must choose to use their newfound powers for good... or for evil.

4. A Legendary Ocean

Chapter Three: A Legendary Ocean

Yoshi was glad that he was already unconscious, or he might've passed out at the words he had just heard. The spirit he was talking to was none other than his own Diamair card, and she wanted to help him, of all people, to change the world? How was one sixteen-year-old supposed to do that?

With my assistance, of course, Diamar answered. And, in time, with the assistance of my siblings. I am not the only Crystal Dragon, as I'm sure you are aware. Your sister possesses Ambriliant, who is no doubt speaking with her just as I am speaking with you, and across the globe, the other four have similarly awakened.

Yoshi thought back to the battle he had seen on the television, just before he'd passed out. It had seemed like two enormous beasts were fighting one another, which meant that Prince Jimu must've summoned his Obsidiusk card.

Yes, and he used it against Saphrine, which awakened us all from our slumber. And I also sense that Obsidiusk's master was victorious in his duel, which means two Crystal Dragons are now in his possession. What can you tell me about this Prince Jimu?

For starters, Jimu was the heir apparent of Old Asuka, and had recently become the public face of his father, the king. He was also renowned as the best duelist in the country, though Jimu personally believed that Kira was equally skilled. And of course, the Prince had been the man who convinced their father to go on the mission that would lead to his death, but Yoshi refused to believe that Jimu had actually murdered their father, unlike Kira.

And what do you know about this Prince's motives?

Not one to be especially concerned with politics, Yoshi didn't know much. It was a well-known fact that Jimu was strongly opposed to the civil war that had been going on since before Yoshi was born, and that seemed like a pure enough motive to Yoshi.

So it would seem. But as noble as the Prince's intentions may be, my brother will slowly warp them to his own liking. Obsidiusk is intelligent, and he is cruel, and he will do whatever it takes to control the minds of others. I fear he may use Jimu's longing for peace to advance his own goal of world conquest. We must not allow that to happen, no matter what the cost.

But this conversation must now come to an end, for events in the outside world have progressed quickly. I can sense the approach of Saphrine and her new master, though it is someone other than the Prince. He must have gifted her to another. Still, you must not allow the Prince's servants to come into possession of myself or Ambriliant. And so I must ask of you a favor. Once you awaken, you will need to gather your deck and leave your residence immediately. Other than that, I ask only that you follow your sister's lead. She is under the guidance of my brother Ambriliant, and he will no doubt have a plan in mind. Can I trust you to do this, Yoshi?

Yoshi was nervous about the events to come, and he didn't relish the idea of leaving his house and going on the run from the police, but he knew that Diamair was right: if the Prince was now under the influence of this Obsidusk, he had to be considered their enemy.

Do not worry, child. You will do fine. And now, young Yoshi, awaken.

Yoshi rolled over and opened his eyes, just in time to see Kira do the same beside him. The television had been switched to an emergency broadcast message.

"Let me guess," Kira said, "You just had the strangest dream."

Yoshi nodded. "I don't think it was a dream though."

"I concur. Quickly, gather your things. You need-"

There was a loud knock on the front door. Then, amplified by a megaphone, a sharp female voice.

"Akira and Yoshi Hiroka. This is Captain Minami, and I'm here with the local police. We have your house surrounded. I'm going to give you exactly ten seconds to come out with your hands raised, or we will be forced to come inside."

Yoshi looked to his sister. "What do we do?"

"There's no time to get your stuff. But you have your deck and that's all you'll need."

"All I need? What do you mean? Aren't you coming with me?"

"No." Kira moved to the bedroom window, facing the rear of the house, and pushed it open. A half dozen cops were spread out across the backyard, blocking the way to the boathouse on the river that ran behind their property. "You need to get moving. Climb out over the roof and make a run for dad's old boat. The keys are under the boathouse doormat."

"But how do I get past all the cops?"

"Your dragon will take care of that. Now go!"

"Attention occupants," came Captain Minami's voice. "Your time is up. Please move away from the door."

Then there came a loud crashing noise as the front door collapsed and the police made their way inside. Yoshi heard footsteps ascending the stairs.

"Go!" Kira yelled.

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine; trust me. These people work for Prince Jimu. They'll take me to him and he'll be forced to duel me for my Ambriliant card. But if I win that duel, Obdisiusk will no longer be his, and I can end this thing before it gets any worse."

Yoshi was still debating whether he should go or stay when the bedroom door burst inward. Kira made the decision for him, grabbing him and thrusting him through the window and out on the roof. He slid for a couple of feet before his feet touched the gutter, and he looked back up to see his sister in the window.

"I love you," she said, then slammed it shut and turned to face whoever had just entered the room.

"Hey!" came a voice from one of the officers in the yard below. "Get down from there, right now!"

Yoshi complied, shimmying his way down one of the columns that lined the back porch. He could see the boathouse in the distance, but there were six burly police officers standing in his way. Now what?

Now it is my turn to uphold my end of the bargain.

Yoshi was shocked to hear Diamiar's thoughts again, but thankful as well. For at that moment, a breeze swept across the yard, so powerful that all sound was drowned out and the cops were knocked to the ground. Yet the air around Yoshi remained perfectly calm, as if the eye of an invisible storm remained constantly around him.

Now is your chance, my child. Run.

Yoshi did, making a mad dash between the disoriented officers, headed toward the pier and the adjacent boathouse. The winds continued to blow, buying him a few more seconds of time.

But out of the corner of his eye, Yoshi saw a figure enter from the side yard, still on her feet and fighting against the wind to catch up to him.

"Get up!" she shouted as moved passed the line of cops, but they all seemed to lack the strength to do so. Only this woman, whom Yoshi assumed to be Captain Miniami, managed to make any progress. Nevertheless, he still had quite a bit of a head start.

Yoshi didn't look back again until he had finally made it to the pier. Minami was still a good distance away, but close enough that he could see her raise an arm to the sky and, as she did, a light rain mixed into the winds and the water in the river become unusually rough. Yoshi knew how to drive the boat, but he didn't have nearly enough experience to do so in this kind of weather.

Stand your ground, Yoshi. All is not lost. This Minami is using my sister's powers to force you into a stalemate. As long as she has Saphrine in her possession, you will be unable to escape, but as long as you are under my protection, she will be unable to get close enough to capture you. I'm sure you realize what this means.

He did. The winds died suddenly and the rain quickly followed. Captain Minami crossed the final stretch to the pier so that they stood only twenty feet apart. "You must be Yoshi Hiroko."

"And you must work for Prince Jimu."

"Correct. Let us not waste any time. We have your sister in our custody. Will you come peacefully, or shall we do things the hard way?"

Yoshi pulled his deck from his pocket. "Let's do things the hard way."

"So be it." Minami took her radio off her belt and held it to her mouth. "Lieutenant, I have Yoshi Hiroko trapped on the back pier. I need you to bring me a pair of duel disks."

"No need," Yoshi said, without planning to say it. It seemed almost as if Diamair was speaking through his mouth. "Our dragons are embedded in our minds. They will make us see all that we need to see."

The scowl on Minami's face told Yoshi that she didn't like the idea at all, but she said, "If we must. How does this work exactly?"

"I'll demonstrate by going first."

Shuffle your deck, Diamair said, and then drop it.

It sounded crazy, but Yoshi trusted his new partner enough to follow her instructions. He let go of his deck, only for it to be caught in a strong wind and carried a few feet to his right. Then the top five cards, born face-down on a light breeze, made their way to his hand.

"That's awesome!"

Captain Minami, whose deck was similarly levitating to her right, didn't appear quite as thrilled.

Yoshi swallowed and said, "I draw." At his command, a sixth card flew from his deck to his hand. He had some good cards, including one of the Heart of the Underdogs Kira had just given him. But he knew he had to play carefully; only by winning Minami's Saphrine card could he calm the river waters and make his escape.

"I'll start by setting one monster in defense mode." He chose Oppressed People, a level one monster with an impressive 2000 defense points, but didn't know what to do with it.

Simply drop it.

He did so, and the card made its way to the center of the field where it remained floating, face-down, where the monster card zone would've been. "Now I'll set another card and activate the spell Heart of the Underdog."

"What does that do?"

"It means that from this point onward, every time I draw a normal monster from my deck, I get to draw another card as long as I show you that monster."

Minami licked her lips. "Interesting. But it's my turn now. I summon Skreech in attack mode."

Her card also floated to the center of the dueling area, opposite Yoshi's face-down, but around it there suddenly appeared a slimy, misshapen creature with two bent legs and some sort of spiky stalk.

Do not be afraid. It is merely a manifestation of the power of Saphrine, and cannot physically harm you. Think of it as if it were merely a hologram.

Yoshi would've found the task a lot easier if the creature wasn't emitting a repugnant odor.

"Now, Skreech, destroy his face-down monster."

The odd creature attacked, but its 1500 attack points weren't nearly enough to destroy Yoshi's Oppressed People card. Minami uttered a sudden "Ow!" and recoiled as if she'd been pricked by a pin.

She now has 7500 life points remaining.

"I don't know how you're pulling this trick off," she told him, "But you're going to pay for it after I defeat you. I set one more card and end my turn."

Yoshi drew one of his favorite cards, Cyber-Tech Alligator, and showed it to his opponent. "I activate Heart of the Underdog's effect, allowing me to draw another card." This time he drew Giga Gagagino, and showed that to her as well, allowing him to draw yet again. He hoped for a lower level monster this time, and his deck complied with Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress. Finally, he drew the trap card Birthright, ending his draw phase.

Now, with seven cards in his hand, Yoshi was feeling rather confident. "I sacrifice Oppressed People to tribute summon my level five Cyber-Tech Alligator."

Yoshi smiled as his monster, a half-mechanized winged lizard, appeared before him.

But Minami was smiling too. "I activate my trap card, Gravity Bind. As long as this card remains face-up on the field, all level four and higher monsters are unable to attack. This, of course, includes your Alligator."

So it did, but it also included her Skreech and any other powerful monsters she might play. Minami was obviously stalling, probably trying to summon her Saphrine card. Yoshi set his Brithright on the field, and waved his hand, inviting his opponent to begin her turn.

"I'll just summon Mermaid Knight. Go."

She now had two water-attribute monsters on the field. Assuming Saphrine was in her hand, all she needed was one more to special summon it. Yoshi needed to prevent that from happening. Luckily, he drew the perfect card for the job: Amulet of Ambition.

"Let's see… I'll start by activating my Birthright trap card, allowing me to summon one normal monster from my grave, and I choose Oppressed People. But this time I'll summon it in attack mode."

The card returned from the graveyard pile to the field, where a handful of miniature people, dressed like slaves and bearing farm tools, appeared.

With only 100 attack, this seemed like a foolish move, but of course, Yoshi had a plan. "Next I'll equip the spell card Amulet of Ambition. Now, when my monster battles a monster with a higher level, it gains 500 points times the difference. To demonstrate, I'll attack your Mermaid Knight. Since your mermaid is at level four and my Opressed People is at level one, my monster now has 1600 attack points, which just so happens to be enough to destroy yours. Since my Cyber-Tech Alligator still can't attack because of your gravity bind, I'll just summon Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress, and end my turn." Now Yoshi had three monsters arrayed against Minami's Skreech. This duel wasn't looking good for the Captain.

She drew a card and sent it straight to the graveyard. "By discarding Warrior of Atlantis, I can add one Legendary Ocean card from my deck straight to my hand. But before playing it, I'll use the spell Heavy Storm, sending all spell and trap cards on the field to the graveyard." Minami's Gravity Bind and Yoshi's Heart of the Underdog, Amulet of Ambition, and Birthright cards all disappeared, in addition to the face-down Skill Drain he never got a chance to activate. Plus, with Birthright gone, Oppressed People disappeared as well.

"And now, with the field cleared of spells and traps, I'll play A Legendary Ocean."

As she did so, the waters in the river behind them swelled even higher, flooding the edge of the property so that both players were up to their ankles in water. Yoshi wondered if Diamair might tell him this was an illusion too.

No, this is real, I'm afraid. Saphrine is using her elemental powers to make the changes to the battlefield physical.

"A Legendary Ocean," Minami explained, "is a field spell card that increased the attack and defense of all water monsters by 200 points. It also decreases the level of all water monsters by one, which means that I can now normal summon Giga Gagagigo, a level-five monster, from my hand.

The armored lizard materialized opposite Yoshi's two. It was a card he instantly recognized, because he was holding its more advanced form, Gogiga Gagagigo in his hand. And, since Giga was also a water-attribute monster, it now had more than enough power to destroy his Cyber-Tech Alligator.

"Now, Giga Gagagigo and Skreech, destroy both of his monsters."

Yoshi looked on helplessly as his Winged Dragon and Cyber-Tech Alligator were sent to the graveyard. He physically experienced the pain of their defeat and knew that his life points had dropped. In one turn, Minami had turned around the entire duel; perhaps Yoshi could do the same.

He drew Enchanting Fitting Room, a card that could either prove extremely useful or completely useless, depending on his luck. But at this point, it was a risk he had to take.

"I play the spell card Enchanting Fitting Room, which allows me to draw four cards. I can then special summon any level three or lower normal monsters among them, before returning the other cards to my deck."

He drew Thunder Kid, Mystical Space Typhoon, another Heart of the Underdog, and Baby Dragon. The two spells were shuffled back into his deck, while Thunder Kid and Baby Dragon appeared on his side of the field. This was exactly what he'd been hoping for.

"Now I'll tribute these two monsters to summon the mighty Gogiga Gagagino, a normal monster second only to the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon itself. And because of your Legendary Ocean, Gogiga's attack points are now at 3150, allowing him to destroy your Giga Gagagino."

Yoshi looked on with pride as the two armored beasts did battle, striking at each other with claws of metal. But as similar as they were in appearance, Yoshi's was clearly the more powerful of the two. Minami grimaced as her life points fell again.

Now she has 6600 and you have 6750, Diamair informed him. You're winning.

"No matter," Minami said. "Because I just drew the one card I needed to take this duel to the next level. Do not forget that I was trained by Prince Jimu himself, one of the greatest duelists in history. This duel has been fun, but it'll take a lot more than powerful monsters to compete in the big leagues. I sacrifice Skreech to summon Superancient Deep Sea King Coelacanth."

The monster was level seven, but due to the effect of A Legendary Ocean, it could be summoned with only one tribute. Like some forgotten creature from the ocean depths, the colossal fish appeared on the field, gigantic and imposing, but still not quite powerful enough to rival Gogiga Gagagino.

"By discarding one card, I can activate Coelacanth's special ability, allowing me to summon up to four fish-type monsters from my deck. I choose to summon three Unshaven Anglers and one Royal Swamp Eel. Tell me, Yoshi, do you know what Synchro Summoning is?"

"Of course I do. I didn't start dueling yesterday." Synchro Summoning was one of the most advanced summoning techniques in duel monsters, and also one of the most powerful. By combining the powers of one "tuner" monster with one or more non-tuner monsters, the player could special summon a Synchro Monster to the field, as long at the level of this new monster was equal to the combined levels of the tuned monsters. In many ways, it was quite similar to a Fusion Summon.

"Good. Then you'll know that Royal Swamp Eel is a level four tuner monster. However, due to the effect of A Legendary Ocean, all water monsters have their levels decreased by one, which means my Royal Swamp Eel, and my Unshaven Anglers, are now all at level three. So my tuning my Eel with one of my Anglers, I can summon a level six Synchro Monster. And I choose Dewloren, Tiger Prince of the Ice Barrier."

Unlike the majority of the monsters Minami had played so far, Yoshi had to admit that Dewloren was a beautiful beast, a white arctic tiger with armor of black and gold. But with 2000 attack points -2200 thanks to A Legendary Ocean- it still could not match Gogiga Gagagigo.

"Now I can activate Dewloren's special ability. By returning any number of cards on my side of the field to my hand, I can increase his attack by five hundred points for each card I choose. So I'll return my two Unshaven Anglers and A Legendary Ocean to my hand, raising his attack to 3500. Then I'll simply place A Legendary Ocean back on the field, increasing his power by another 200 points. Now Dewloren will destroy your only monster, leaving you open to a direct attack my Superancient Deep Sea King Coelacanth."

This was the second time Minami had turned the duel in her favor, and Yoshi was beginning to see why the Prince had entrusted her with Saphrine. At this rate, she wouldn't need it to win the duel.

Do not despair, little one. You still have 3400 life points remaining, and there is much we may do to win this duel yet.

"My turn now?"

"Not yet," Minami replied. "I also activate the spell card Level Limit Area B, which switches all level four and higher monsters on the field to defense position, and keeps them there as long as this card is in play."

At first, Yoshi was confused as to why she'd switch her Dewloren to its weaker 1400 defense points, but then he realized that the limit would apply to his monsters as well. Unless he could summon a level three or lower monster with more than 1400 attack, Dewloren was safe.

He drew Defensive Draw and set it on the field. At least it would serve to buy him a little bit of time. Then he set one monster on the field, Gene-Warped Warwolf, and ended his turn.

"Still trying to resist, are you? Well, at least now you'll get to see my strategy first-hand. I use Dewloren's ability to return Level Limit Area B and A Legendary Ocean to my hand, then, of course, I'll re-activate the latter. Now I change both my monsters to attack mode. Coelcanth, destroy his face-down monster. Dewloren, attack his life points directly"

The huge fish attacked, sending Yoshi's Gene-Warped Warwolf to the grave. But before Dewloren could attack, Yoshi activated his trap. "I use Defensive Draw, which allows me to negate your attack and draw another card."

"So be it. I stalled for the first half this duel; I suppose it's only fair that you drag out the second half. I place Level Limit Area B back on the field and end my turn."

Yoshi could see the brilliance of the Captain's strategy: as long as she had both Dewloren and Level Limit on the field, she could prevent any of his powerful monsters from attacking without limiting herself. He needed some way to get rid of one of those cards and break her combo.

He drew another card and realized that he had just drawn the second part of the combo Kira had given him. Back up at the house, a few of the police cars had departed, and he imagined that she was already well on her way to meet with the Prince. He wished her the best of luck, but knew that beating the Prince would be no easy task and, in case she failed, he had to take Diamair out of the Prince's reach. But to do that, he first had to win the duel.

"Today's not your lucky day, Captain. I activate the spell card Non-Spellcasting Area, which makes all normal monsters immune to the effects of spell cards, like your Level Limit Area B. Now I'll summon Nin-Ken Dog, and use him to attack Dewloren. And since your Tiger Prince is in defense mode, it's time to say goodbye."

Minami gritted her teeth. "No matter. I still have Coelacanth on the field and… well, you'll see."

"Perhaps. But don't expect me to give up without a fight. I also activate Nightmare Steelcage, which prevents all monsters from attacking for two whole turns. But with Non-Spellcasting Area in play, that only applies to effect monsters- in other words, your monsters. Your turn."

Minami drew and was unable to suppress a small grin. "Delay your demise all you want; you can't prevent it. Not with the card I just drew. I'll activate Coelacanth's ability again, allowing me to special summon three 7 Colored Fish and another Royal Swamp Eel from my deck. Then I tune my Eel and one of my Fish to resummon Dewloren to the field. Since my Level Limit Area B has now become useless, I'll use his ability to return it to my hand. Finally, I'll sacrifice Dewloren and my last two 7 Colored Fish to summon Saphrine, the Blue Crystal Dragon."

She said its name with such lack of emotion that it seemed almost disrespectful to the awakened dragon-god. But Saphrine nonetheless appeared on the battlefield, towering over both players, imposing and beautiful, her majestic scales and soothing color instilling a strange sense of calm in Yoshi.

Do not let her appearance fool you. My sister is a pacifist by nature, but like any body of water, she can still be quite dangerous when treated without proper reverence. Do not underestimate her power.

"I'm impressed," Yoshi admitted. "But even Saphrine can't escape the power of my Nightmare Steelcage. Anything else?"

"Nothing for now."

"Good." Yoshi drew Sabersaurus and set it on the field. Then, without any other foreseeable strategy except stalling for time, he switched Nin-Ken Dog to defense mode.

Captain Minami drew another card and this time made no effort to hide her glee. "Earlier, you said today wasn't my lucky day. I'm afraid you turned out to be very, very wrong. Not only have I summoned the most powerful Water-attribute monster in existence, but I've just drawn the last card I needed to complete the strategy that will seal your fate. It had been a fun duel, Yoshi Hiroko, but all good things must come to an end, and I'm afraid our duel ends now."

Yoshi was both worried and confused. She was talking as if she was going to win the duel this turn, but even if she did get rid of his Nightmare Steelcage before it expired, she'd still have to destroy both of his monsters before attacking his lifepoints.

Stay strong, Yoshi. As calm as they appear, I sense much turmoil within Saphrine and her master. It seems Minami is unwilling to accept the advice of my dear sister, and this may prove her undoing.

"First, I sacrifice Superancient Deep Sea King Coelecanth to summon yet another powerful Water monster, Levia-Dragon Daedalus." The long, finned sea serpent took its position at Saphrine's side, and Yoshi noticed the enormous dragon eyeing it with a look of slight annoyance, as if she wished to defeat Yoshi without the help of another monster.

"But as powerful as Levia-Dragon Daedalus is, it still won't be enough to completely ensure my victory. But its upgraded form certainly will be. Allow me to introduce Ocean Dragon Lord Neo-Daedalus!"

As she played the card, Daedalu's body thickened, its fins lengthened, and its neck and head split into two separate but equally ferocious halves. Now there were two enormous beasts, one repugnant and one divine, bearing down upon Yoshi and his line of defense.

"Lastly, I'll activate Neo-Daedalus' special ability, which allows me to send every card on the field and in both player's hands directly to the graveyard. Of course, Daedalus is immune to its own effect and Saphrine can't be destroyed by monster effects. Ergo, there will be nothing you can do to protect yourself against the attacks of my two unstoppable monsters."

To reflect her words, the waters around them grew even higher, leaping up into a great column that engulfed the entire battlefield between the two duelists. Then the water subsided, lowering back to the level of the river, and leaving behind not a single card or monster, save for Neo-Daedalus itself.

Yoshi was ecstatic to see her make such an amateur mistake. Captain Minami seemed shocked and bewildered. It took her a few moments to finally verbalize her thoughts. "What happened to Saphrine? She should still be on the field."

Yoshi couldn't help but feel pleased, even though he was still about to lose the battle. But at least now he would survive to see another turn.

"Look at your card text again. You really should've studied Saphrine better before using her in a duel. And I bet that if you would've tried listening to her advice, she might've prevented you from making your mistake."

Minami reached toward her card graveyard and Saphrine flew to her hand. She read the text aloud. "This card cannot be normal summoned or set. This card cannot be special summoned except by tributing three water monsters from your side of the field. This card gains 300 attack and defense for each water monster in your graveyard and cannot be destroyed by the effects of spell, trap, or monster cards." She looked up at Yoshi. "Exactly. So Saphrine shouldn't have been destroyed by Daedalus' effect."

Yoshi decided to draw out the moment for all it was worth. He shrugged. "She wasn't destroyed."

Minami's lip quivered. "Then why is she in the graveyard?"

"I suggest you read the text on Ocean-Dragon Lord Neo-Daedalus again as well."

"I know what my own card does; I don't need-"

"Well then, let's move on with the duel."

"Alright, fine, I'll read it. 'This card cannot be normal summoned or set… blah, blah, blah… send all cards in both players' hands and on the field to the graveyard, except this card.' But I still don't get… oh. Oh no…"

"Now you understand." Yoshi decided to spell it out for her, hoping to throw her mind off balance and open an opportunity for him to win the duel. "The Cyrstal Dragons can't be destroyed by monster effects, but Neo-Daedalus' effect doesn't destroy monsters; it sends all cards directly to the graveyard. It's a minor difference in wording but, as I'm sure you know, according to the international rules, sending a card to the graveyard is not the same as destroying it."

For one second, Minami looked like she was about to tear her Saphrine card in two, but she quickly regained her composure and returned it to the graveyard so that the duel could continue. "No matter. It's still my turn, and I still have the only monster on the field. Ocean Dragon Lord Neo-Daedalus, attack his lifepoints directly."

The sea serpent roared and lunged, and though Yoshi felt no force from the impact, he did feel a sudden burst of pain which sent him to his knees. He barely had enough strength to stand up again, and knew he had very few life points left.

You have five hundred. But that's all you're going to need.

Yoshi appreciated Diamair's confidence, even though it was unwarranted. He had no cards on the field or in his hand, and his opponent still had almost all of her lifepoints left. She was about to win his prized Diamair card, the card his father had left to him, and the one destiny had entrusted him to protect. Well, destiny must've made a poor choice. Diamair would've been better off with Kira, a duelist who could actually use it to its full potential. By now, she was probably well on her way to the royal palace, ready to use her crystal dragon to defeat the prince and save the kingdom. And here he was, running away like a coward, and not even able to accomplish that successfully.

Stop it. I told you to trust in your sister and my brother, and that it what you have done. You have made no error, in this decision or in any during this duel. It is your destiny to escape from this encounter and so it shall be. I placed my trust in you, but now I need you to place your trust in me. Or have you forgotten? It is now your turn, which means you get to draw one card.

Yoshi couldn't think of a single card in his deck that could save him now, but, inspired by Diamair's speech, he hoped for the best and drew from his deck.

It was Pot of Avarice, which would allow him to draw two more cards by returning five monsters from his graveyard to his deck. Of course, after losing so much of the duel, he had way more than five to choose from.

Choose any you wish, but Gogiga Gogagino must be among them.

That was insane. It made much more sense to return low level monsters to the deck and hope for a card that could revive one of the more powerful ones.

And which card would that be?

Well, Birthright would work… except his only copy was already in the graveyard. And there was Silent Doom, but a monster revived with that card couldn't attack. Yoshi wished now more than ever that he'd been able to afford a Monster Reborn for his deck.

Do not think that way. Your deck is perfect just the way it is, perfect for what it needs to accomplish in the upcoming duels. Put faith in yourself and in your cards, and they will not fail you. And I also ask that you trust in me. Return Gogia Gogagino to your deck. It is the only way you might win.

Yoshi didn't see how, but he agreed that despairing wouldn't help anything. The duel wasn't over until it was over, and Kira had showed him tapes of great duelists making comebacks from equally lopsided situations. Of course, Yoshi was no great duelist, but he had learned from the best, and perhaps that would be enough. He returned five monsters to his deck, shuffled it, and drew his first of the two cards.

It was Gogiga Gagagino, one of the cards he had just returned. Of course, being a level eight monster, it required two sacrifices to summon. The only card Yoshi knew of that would be able to do so was Enchanting Fitting Room, but he had already used up his only one. But maybe Diamair knew something he didn't.

He drew his second card and at once realized how narrowminded he had been. He didn't need to sacrifice two monsters to summon Gogiga, not with this card instead. It turned out that Diamair had been right along: even with the odds stacked so heavily against him, Yoshi's deck had not let him down.

"We can stand here all day," Minami said, "But sooner or later, you have to make a move. You might as well get it over with, so that I can take you to meet up with your sister and the Prince."

"As much as I'd like to accept that offer, Kira's going to have to be on her own for now. Because, believe it or not, I just drew the two cards which are going to win me this duel. According to modern rules, a level eight monster needs two tributes to summon. But this was not always so. When Duel Monsters was first created, any normal monster could be summoned without cost. And with this spell card, that rule lives on. I activate Ancient Rules, allowing me to summon one level five or higher normal monster from my hand, and I choose Gogiga Gagagino."

His armored lizard took to the field once again, a beast of equal ferocity with Minami's Neo-Daedalus. But Gogogia had fifty more attack points, and that made all the difference. The two monsters did battle for but a brief moment before Yoshi's emerged the victor and Minami lost the only card she had on the field. Now it was her turn to hope for a good card, because she would need one if she wanted to defeat Gogiga Gogagino.

She still 6550 life points remaining.

Not for long.

Minami hadn't moved since Yoshi had made his move, but now the shock seemed to have faded and she looked down to the ground. Then she reach out as if to draw a card from her hovering deck, but didn't move her hand from the top card.

"Wait… you…"

"Yes," she said. "The odds of you drawing those exact two cards are astronomical. It is clear to me now that it is your destiny to win this duel, and not my own. So I will not draw this out any longer. I concede defeat."

At this, Gogiga Gagagino disappeared and all the cards in the graveyards returned to their owner's decks, save Saphrine, which returned to Yoshi's. He studied it for a brief moment before adding it to his deck and placing it in his pocket.

"Thank you, Captain. If you don't mind, make sure my sister's okay."

"You have nothing to worry about. The only thing your sister has to fear is an impending defeat from Prince Jimu."

"Well, we'll have to agree to disagree about that one," Yoshi said. "Because between you and me, your Prince doesn't stand a chance."

But even as he turned back to the pier and made his way into the boathouse, taking the key from under the doormat, Yoshi knew that Prince Jimu stood more than a chance. Kira was one of the best duelists in the country, but Jimu was one of the greatest ever. Yoshi was almost disappointed that he wouldn't get to see their duel now, for it would surely be one for the ages.

By the time he started up the boat, the waters in the river had subsided. Yoshi glanced back at his home only once before turning away downstream, wondering how long it might be until he returned.

It will be sooner than you think. But for the time being, you must leave not only your home behind, but your country. You must follow this river until it empties, and then follow the coastline to the land now called New Asuka. It is there that your destiny awaits you, for we will need assistance if we are to prevent Prince Jimu and Obsidiusk from completing their quest. I want to end this war as much as they do, as much as you do, but conquest is not the way. And so we shall go to King Daichi and request a ceasefire, and together determine what precautions must be made, if your sister does not succeed in the task my brother Ambriliant has beset her.

Yoshi couldn't believe Diamair actually expected him to take this little motor boat all the way to New Asuka. There was an enormous sea separating the two.

It is not as far as you might think, not compared to many of the great journeys of the past. With the wind at your back, you should make it to your destination by sundown. Besides, you should have no trouble conquering a small sea, for today you have already conquered an ocean.